Great success of the Polish national team! Iga Świątek’s crazy performance
Polish national team in the semi-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup! The Poles defeated the Czechs and achieved a historic result for our tennis. Iga Świątek did the impossible.
It was an extraordinary Saturday and… a piece of Sunday for Polish tennis. The Polish team playing in the quarterfinals of the Billie Jean King Cup was in a very difficult position, having to make up for the losses in the competition with the Czechs.
Billie Jean King Cup: Polish national team with historic advancement, Czechs defeated!
Due to the postponement of the Spain-Poland match, caused by the great flood that swept through Malaga and the surrounding area, the Polish women were forced to face new tennis challenges day after day. After winning over the home team in the 1/8 finals, the Czech team was already in the quarter-finals. The Czech women are significantly weakened because they are without Barbora Krejcikova (10th in the WTA ranking) and Karolina Muchova (22nd).
Instead of the WTA Finals semi-finalist (Krejcikova) and the Roland Garros 2023 finalist (Muchova), in the singles competition, the southern neighbors chose other players: Marie Bouzkova (45), Katerina Siniakova (46), Linda Noskova (26) and Sara Bejlek (142). Let us add that the wealth of Czech tennis is so great that the absent players, Marketa Vondrousova (39) and Karolina Pliskova (41), could also play in the national team.
However, it started with the defeat of Magdalena Fręch against Marie Bouzkova. The Łódź player had a terrible start to the match (1:6), but over time she returned to her game and pressed hard on the uncomfortable opponent. Unfortunately, that day it was Bouzkova who was a few points better, although summa summarum, if draws were to be awarded in tennis, this one would be the fairest.
It turned out to be clear that the second one, Iga Świątek, had to defeat Linda Noskova. That’s what happened! Świątek survived her teenage nightmare at this year’s Australian Open. In Melbourne, the young Czech defeated the Polish woman sensationally, but in Malaga, the WTA ranking runner-up prevailed in three sets. Therefore, the score was 1:1 in the Poland-Czech Republic competition and the doubles match was to decide whether to advance to the BJKC semi-finals.
In it, Świątek appeared on the court again. After a break of several dozen minutes and almost three hours of singles play, Świątek joined Katarzyna Kawa. Together, the Polish women created a duo of tennis power (Świątek) and subtlety (Kawa).
On the other side of the net, however, their opponents were much more experienced in the doubles version. Bouzkova appeared on the court again, but with the famous Katerina Siniakova by her side. One of the best, if not the best doubles player in the world in the last few years. Sinakova is, among others, Olympic doubles champion in Paris (2024) and Tokyo (2020). Additionally, this year, as a doubles player, she triumphed at the Grand Slams at Wimbledon and at Roland Garros.
But what good is it, if a few minutes after 1 a.m. Polish time, the Polish doubles team achieved success! The Polish women won 6:2, 6:4, showing really great hearts to fight. It is worth mentioning the key moment when in the second set the Polish team went from 4-0 to 4-4. And yet, Świątek and Kawa controlled their emotions and managed not only to win their serve (5:4), but also to break the Czech team and bring great joy to themselves and the fans. At the end, “Happy Birthday!” was sung. for Kawa, who celebrates her birthday on Sunday (November 17).
Well, an amazing story has just been written in Malaga!
Where and when to watch the Poland-Italy semi-final in BJKC 2024?
The fight for a place in the Billie Jean King Cup 2024 final between Poles and Italians will take place on Monday (November 18). The start is scheduled for 5 p.m. Who will play in the second semi-final? This will become clear only in the next few days. On Sunday (i.e. November 17), the quarterfinals will be played with the participation of Canada and Great Britain, as well as Australia and Slovakia.
It is from this quartet that the second semi-final pair will emerge, which will play on Tuesday (i.e. November 19). The grand finale in Malaga a day later, on Wednesday, from 6 p.m.
Broadcasts from the competition in the BJKC final tournament can be watched on TVP Sport. It will be possible to follow the tennis players’ national team activities online on the television website, mobile application, Smart TV, and HbbTV.
